“I DID NOT EXPECT THE COMEBACK TO BE SO DIFFICULT”
“I did not expect the comeback to be so difficult”
The Romanian explains what she felt after proving her innocence following a doping accusation, although today she is going through a complicated moment due to injuries.
The tennis world smiled last March when Simona Halep found out that, after a long time of battling to prove her innocence in a doping suspension, she was given the green light to return to the circuit as soon as she was ready. In theory, the toughest match had already been won, but we were wrong. Since then, all we have seen from the Romanian is a first-round exit at the Miami WTA 1000 and a first-round withdrawal from the WTA125 in Paris. In a recent interview with We are tennis, the former world number one analyzes some phases of the situations she has been experiencing this season.
“Right now, I see the glass from both sides,” expresses the 32-year-old player when asked about her present. “The positive side is that everything is finally cleared, I won the trial and showed my truth, demonstrated that I had never done anything wrong in tennis. The negative part is the break I had these past two years, it brought me many issues related to the mental aspect, exhaustion, even personal problems. Now I see that it is very difficult to recover the lost time. However, the most important thing is the emotional aspect, we all need some balance and to see the positive side. What I went through was very hard, especially in staying positive all the time. I fought with everything, I’m still fighting, but I did not expect the comeback to be so difficult,” she confesses after suffering from some physical problems that have prevented her from maintaining consistency.
Regarding the controversy with doping and the almost two years she was unfairly out of the circuit, the Constanta native conveys her thoughts calmly, relieved to have surpassed the darkest chapter of her life. “I have no feeling of anger, I don’t think anyone should be punished for what happened. I forgive, I don’t think anyone did it on purpose with the substances, so it was easier to forgive and accept what came, study solutions to solve the problem. I never liked blaming anyone, I never did it after losing a match, I keep it all to myself. Sometimes it can be too heavy for your shoulders, but that’s how I am, I prefer to continue like this. After going through all this for two years, tennis still makes me happy, my feelings haven’t changed, I can’t hate tennis. It was something that happened and it’s over,” comments the two-time Grand Slam champion
After leaving behind all the off-court matters, it’s now time to work, be patient, and wait for the physical side to respond when Simona needs it most. These have been challenging months for her as she has suffered several injuries, discovered that not all tournaments are willing to grant her a WC, and even when putting together a team, she doesn’t seem very clear on the direction she wants to take. Next September, she will blow out 33 candles on the birthday cake, although we all have a fairly clear idea of what wish she will make at that moment. Overcoming time has become the most challenging task to tackle.
“I am trying my best to react in the best way to these setbacks, take those lessons to be stronger, I am convinced that life still has good things in store for me. I always believed in good, I never thought that bad people or a false situation like this would win the battle. It is true that I am back in a negative moment now, so I have to learn again to live the good and wait for the positive, it’s a whole process. I haven’t achieved anything yet, but I’m working on it,” concludes the woman who is currently ranked outside the top 1,000.
